Bad News For Malaysians

This afternoon I read the Police have directed that campaign speeches for the 3 by-elections should not touch on , Altantuya, and the Sultan of Perak pertaining to the dissolution of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak. In any political debate, one has got to say the good and the bad, and if the ruling government is all good, excellent, there are no issues the opposition can raise, and why allow any opposition to take over when the existing one is good. But this is not so, there are elements which derail the present government, Altantuya, where the present Deputy Prime Minister has much to explain, and besides the perception the Sultan has acted wrongly.

The people have nothing personal about these two individuals namely Najib and the Sultan. Most of them, possibly would not have met them personally. Why get angry with them. The people feel they have been wronged and is it not right things must be put right.

It may be superfluous, but if Najib has explained, how he was seen in Paris with the Mongolian woman, immigration records missing, Bala missing, then at least the people can weigh and accept what is correct. But unfortunately, no answers are forthcoming and this leaves a bad taste of indifference when explanations are asked.

The second, any monarch, will want to satisfy his subjects and this is the role of a ruler. He need not speak directly, but has any one considered some spokesman explaining why it was necessary to dissolve the state assembly. The people are all ears, and any indication of the predicament of the Sultan at the time of decision would have been most welcome and the populace are not that dumb to brush aside comments indirectly from another source, without considering the merit.

I suppose the elections will come and go, but these issues which have not been answered will linger on for years to come and get recorded in history.

Sad to say, the bad news of the day is the news is that Najib will be sworn-in this Friday. We have had 5 Prime Ministers before Najib, and all these were accepted without any qualms on their character. But the sixth, as everybody says has baggage he carries along to make it weighty for him to gain the confidence of the people. Nobody out there hates him, but he must throw away the baggage and walk briskly in, light, with only the thought to serve the country. Is he doing it.

Asians have this inclination to blame fate for things they can’t avoid, and so, rather than destiny, it is fate Najib becomes Prime Minister.

So Malaysians are fated, a rather defeatist view in the present days, but then let us hope tomorrow will bring a date where even fate can be caste away. When is that.

It is learnt that invitations were also sent to menteris besar and chief ministers, including from the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states. On Thursday, outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to meet the King regarding the transition of power issue. However until yesterday, Abdullah had refused to state the date for handing over the reins and told the media not to pester him on the issue. "Just wait. Don’t ask me to say anything. All will happen when the time is right. The transition will take place," he said, sparking off another round of speculation that the plan could derail at the eleventh hour.

Incoming premier Najib Abdul Razak too has remained tightlipped on the matter.

Wait for the official statement This afternoon, Najib was quizzed on he purported swearing-in ceremony when he visited the Sin Chew Daily office in Petaling Jaya. Neither confirming nor denying the matter, he said any question on the actual date of the transfer of power will only be known after the official statement is issued by the Prime Minister’s Department. "This has to wait for the official statement, I can’t make the official statement," he was quoted as saying by Bernama. Asked on the new cabinet line-up, he said the matter would only be decided after the swearing-in of the prime minister. On whether he would be appointing the Umno candidates who had lost in the party election last week into his cabinet, Najib said: "I have yet to think about it." Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad, who was among those who lost in the election, had expressed his intention to step down. He would be tendering his resignation letter at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting, which could be the last to be chaired by Abdullah. Several other cabinet members including Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said and Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim left it to the top leadership to decide their fate. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was also defeated in his bid for the vice-presidency.